Steel producer LTV Corp., with plants in the industrial flats in Cleveland, filed for bankruptcy protection late last year, but a last-minute financing deal with Chase Manhattan Corp. averted the shutdown of any facilities.

Advertiser library photo  Dec. 29, 2000

Economic index falls againA key gauge of U.S. economic activity plunged 0.6 percent in December, the largest drop in five years and a signal of continued weakness in the U.S. economy.

Nation's steelmakers bendingNine U.S. steel companies went bankrupt in the past two years. Only 10 percent of the nation's steel manufacturers made money in the fourth quarter. Since 1998, 15,000 workers have lost their jobs.

Bankoh offering flier miles to clientsAirline miles, that virtual currency consumers earn for doing everything from using their credit cards to filling up their gas tanks, are replacing cash rewards at one Hawai'i bank.

Dot-com bounce produces skepticsThe days of soaring Internet stocks are back, with some nearly forgotten dot-com stocks quietly doubling or even tripling in value in less than three weeks.

Struggling Converse closing plants, moving productionSneaker-maker Converse Inc., best known for its basketball and "Chuck Taylor" brand shoes, is closing three North American production plants and shifting production to Asia as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.